Empty Promises• Herbert Hoover ran for

president on a platform of continued prosperity.

• He promised Americans a “chicken in every pot and a car in every garage.”

Empty Promises•However, Hoover did not anticipate the Great Depression or its effects on American life.

Effects of the Great Depression

Life in the United States

Effects of the Great Depression1. Farmers lost their farms through foreclosure and bankruptcy.a) Many farmers became migrant workers, moving

from place to place in search of work.

To make matters worse…b) The Dust Bowl- • A series of droughts caused crops to dry up and the

soil turned to dust.• Over one million farmers from the Great Plains were

driven from their lands by this “Dust Bowl.”

Effects of the Great Depression2. Unemployment- By

1933, 25% of workers lost their jobs and were out of work.

Effects of the Great Depression

3. Banks Failed- From 1929-1932 over 5,000 banks closed their doors. (1/4 of all banks in the U.S.)

Effects of the Great Depression4. Businesses shut their doors due to the lack of

consumer spending.

Effects of the Great Depression5. The Human Cost:• Poverty, homelessness, and starvation

increased dramatically. • Many children were forced to look for work &

malnutrition increased. • Schools closed due to lack of money.

WITHIN EIGHT MONTHS OF TAKING OFFICE HOOVER HAD TO DEAL WITH THE GREATEST ECONOMIC DECLINE IN U.S. HISTORY. HE WAS

NOT PREPARED TO DEAL WITH THE SUFFERING THE GREAT DEPRESSION BROUGHT TO AMERICANS. FOR FOUR YEARS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF HOOVER,

MADE ONLY MINIMAL ATTEMPTS TO END THE ECONOMIC CRISIS.

“ECONOMIC DEPRESSION CANNOT BE CURED BY

LEGISLATIVE ACTION OR EXECUTIVE

PRONOUNCEMENT. ECONOMIC WOUNDS MUST BE HEALED BY THE ACTION

OF THE CELLS OF THE ECONOMIC BODY - THE

PRODUCERS AND CONSUMERS THEMSELVES”

HERBERT HOOVER

Hoover’s Response to the Great Depression• At this time in history unemployment insurance and

welfare did NOT exist. • President Herbert Hoover Suggested:1. “Rugged Individualism”- individuals and local

governments should care for the children, the sick, the elderly, and the disabled.

2. Not directly aiding the poor. He said “handouts,” would weaken their self respect.

3. Construction of the Hoover Dam, in Nevada, which employed thousands.

• Still, this did not adequately address the problems of the Great Depression.

As a result…• Makeshift towns sprung up across the U.S., which

Americans called “Hoovervilles.”– These Hoovervilles were no more than a collection of shacks,

filled with the homeless.

• People also spoke of “Hoover blankets,” “Hoover stew,” and “Hoover leather.”

Conditions Worsened When…• In 1932, 20,000 jobless veterans marched on Washington

D.C. to ask for an early payment of their bonus.• The bonus, a reward for their service, was only due to be

paid in 1945, but the suffering veterans needed it then.

Conditions Worsened When…• Although the senate refused payment, this “Bonus Army”

camped out in Washington, D.C.• The police and the U.S. military, under the command of

General Douglas MacArthur, were sent to disperse the Bonus Army.

• Veterans were gassed, their camps burned and four were killed.

Conclusion• After the Bonus Army incident Herbert Hoover lost what

little support he had left, and Americans looked to a new leader.

• For many who lived through the Great Depression the stigma of poverty never completely disappeared.

• What effects did the Great Depression have on American life?